Holyrood gives Raffan a chance to change his expenses claims

THE former MSP Keith Raffan was last night asked to explain why he had claimed business mileage in Scotland when it was reported he was on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Isle of Man.

Holyrood officials also demanded that the Liberal Democrat, who recently claimed more than 41,000 in travel expenses, scrutinise his expenses over the past four years for other discrepancies.

Officials at the Scottish Parliament spent yesterday poring over expenses claims made by Mr Raffan, who topped the annual list of allowances and expenses claims for MSPs when details were published in December.

A spokesman for the parliament said officials had asked Mr Raffan, who stood down on the grounds of health earlier this month, to confirm whether he had attended a conference in the Isle of Man on 12 March 2001.

According to a report published on the Isle of Man, Mr Raffan was the guest speaker at a Commonwealth Day dinner but his expenses claims, released under freedom of information rules, show that the former MSP claimed to have driven 66 miles that day on parliamentary business. He was paid 29.51 for the trip.

In a letter to Mr Raffan, officials asked him to confirm whether he had been on the Isle of Man and asked him, if so, "for his proposal for the reimbursement of the parliament in respect of the travel expenses claimed".

Officials also asked him to review other claims he had submitted dating back to 2001, but paid to him only late last year.

The letter reiterates the obligation on MSPs agreed by the parliament to declare that their expenses were "actually and necessarily incurred on parliament/constituency business", the wording that appears on claim forms.

Mr Raffan was paid 108,826 in allowances last year by the parliamentary authorities, of which 41,154 was for travel.

When the details were published Mr Raffan insisted the travel sum related to three years, as he had fallen behind with his expenses.

The letter, sent to an office in Perth in what was Mr Raffan’s constituency, said officials wanted him to look again at the claims "for the purpose of checking their accuracy as to the dates of claim and the mileage covered".

Last night a spokesman said parliament officials would wait for a response from the former MSP before they decided what further action to take.

Asked whether the police might become involved, the spokesman said: "There would have to be evidence of fraud. There is no suggestion of that at this point."

The parliament has focused on a single day of Mr Raffan’s trip to the Isle of Man despite

evidence from a press release issued by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 2001 that said the then MSP made a two-day visit to the island for Commonwealth Day and also visited the island’s parliament, the Tynwald.

The press release said: "His [Mr Raffan’s] two-day programme included visits to Tynwald Hill, the House of Manannan, the National Sports Centre and the new hospital site.

"He also had meetings with the drugs and alcohol co- ordinator, the treasury minister and the speaker of the House of Keys."

The main reason for Mr Raffan’s visit, according to the press release, was as guest speaker at a Commonwealth Day dinner held at the Ocean Castle Hotel, Port Erin.

Officials are hoping that their "invitation" to Mr Raffan to look at all of his claims over four years will fend off claims that they are not being thorough enough in their investigations into the alleged expenses abuse. Details of Mr Raffan’s mileage claims indicate that he claimed for journeys made in Scotland on 11-13 March, 2001.

On 12 March he claimed for a 95-mile journey between Edzell and Holyrood, a 33-mile journey from Holyrood to Kirkcaldy, and a 33-mile journey from Kirkcaldy to Holyrood.

The parliament spokesman said: "We take this seriously. Any evidence of wrongly claimed expenses will be examined thoroughly.

"I can confirm that we are examining thoroughly the dates in question."

Mr Raffan, a former Tory MP in Wales who switched his political allegiances and moved to Scotland to become a Liberal Democrat MSP, was yesterday unavailable to comment. He was not at his flat in Edinburgh or at the office in Perth, which was paid for out of his parliamentary allowances. Parliament officials said they did not know where he was.

Anxious to avoid being tarnished by the affair, the Liberal Democrats have said that the expenses row is a matter between Mr Raffan and the parliamentary authorities.